Widespread shower and thunderstorm activity continues tonight across portions of the Lower Mississippi Valley and Gulf Coast as a pesky stationary front lingers over the Gulf of Mexico.
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Moderate to locally heavy rainfall will focus primarily over portions of southern Louisiana into southern Alabama before shifting east toward the Piedmont today, which could produce isolated-scattered instances of flash flooding.
Isolated severe hail, damaging winds, and a tornado or two remain possible with some of the stronger storms along the Gulf Coast through this morning as well.
Fortunately, some relief from the wet and unsettled weather is in sight for the South by Sunday as the culprit driving much of the rainfall (the stationary front) will finally begin to press south as a cold front, which should at least dry the region out temporarily.
As the front presses south, a wedge of cold air will continue to seep in from the northeast across the Piedmont and Coastal Plain, where high temperatures today could struggle to break 50.
In fact, a few locations across the Carolinas into Georgia could challenge their daily low maximum temperature record today, although a swath of cooler than average (but not record breaking) weather will also be found across much of the Eastern U.S.
this weekend with chilly high pressure overhead.
Meanwhile, a multitude of Eastern Pacific systems will keep moderate rain and mountain snow in the forecast across the Northwest through at least this weekend.
The most organized of these disturbances looks to arrive Sunday afternoon, which will produce moderate to locally heavy rainfall and mountain snows into the work week, particularly along the coast.
Through Monday, liquid precipitation totals of 1-3" look reasonable across the western reaches of Washington and Oregon, which could cause isolated flooding concerns Sunday as liquid rain falls atop the copious snowpack in the region.
Look for generally mild temperatures in the 50's to persist across the Northwest beneath moist onshore flow and unsettled weather, while an amplifying upper ridge over the Great Basin quickly warms up much of the Western and Central U.S by Sunday.
Warm, dry, and windy conditions today over the Central Plains overhead will also support a Critical Risk (level 2/3) of fire weather across north-central Kansas into northeast Nebraska where Red Flag Warnings are in effect through this evening.
Fire weather chances will quickly wane by tomorrow, however, according to the Storm Prediction Center. ■